Classic Bike
July 2021Classic Bike helps and inspires enthusiasts to get more from their passion for classic motorcycles. The magazine shares their fascination with motorcycling’s heroic past while also helping them buy, fix and improve the bikes in their shed. Our main areas of content are: - Inspirational and entertaining reads that celebrate the glory of motorcycling, from riding stories that put the reader in the seat of history’s greatest bikes to incredible racing tales - Restoration stories and instructional features that inspire and help people get their tools out and sort out their old bike - In-depth technical features from the most expert and authoritative writers in motorcycling If you share our passion about classic motorcycles from the last century, you'll enjoy reading Classic Bike.
in this issue
we’re off to the isle of man
THERE MAY BE no TT this year – but, as many motorcycle enthusiasts have the Island in their minds at this time of year, we thought it appropriate to celebrate the world’s greatest motorcycle race with a glimpse back into a couple of momentous occasions in its history. First off, it’s 110 years since the first race that took in the Mountain section, and Phillip Tooth takes a look at that very first 1911 Tourist Trophy. The TT had previously been run on the St John’s course, starting in St John’s village then taking in Ballacraine, Kirkmichael and Peel for a 15.84-mile lap. But by 1911, the ACU felt a greater challenge was required and switched to a much longer 37.5-mile route that included the gruelling climb up and over Snaefell, the…
opportunity knocked
PROJECTS THE WAY WE WERE EVENTS YOUR CLASSICS LETTERS Fifty summers ago, two refreshingly new British bikes should have been appearing on the road. A pair of 100mph dohc 350cc twins from BSA and Triumph had been announced to the trade and previewed in the press, including massive coverage in US magazines. The BSA E35 Fury and Triumph T35 Bandit were basically the same apart from cosmetics and badging, with each also offered in a high-piped SS (Street Scrambler) version. Markedly different from any previous BSA or Triumph twins, they had inclined cylinders with generous slab-sided finning, slim elongated fuel tanks and duplex frames that echoed contemporary racing practice, plus optional electric starting. With 63 x 56mm cylinder dimensions (349cc), claimed power was 34bhp. Due for release in the spring of 1971, the…
see through it
Projects never go out of fashion. At least, that’s how it seems if you examine auction results over recent years. And especially so if the subject is something rare, exotic, desirable – or all three. The catalogue for Bonhams’ Summer Stafford Sale at Stafford County Showground on July 2-4 seems to back up that assertion. A raft of project machines have been consigned, from the humble to the extraordinary. Here’s a taster of what’s on offer for the dedicated project hunter with an eye for the finer things on two wheels. ‘THIS WOULD BE A REWARDING PROJECT FOR A COMMITTED VINTAGE FAN’ ► 1934 Matchless Silver Hawk An ambitious project that’s certainly not one for the fainthearted. But, having said that, when did you last see one of Matchless’s rare and desirable V4s…
sunbeam reflections
THE PHOTO BELOW is of my father, Geoff Fletcher (1912-1965) on a Sunbeam which was either co-owned with or borrowed from his friend, Gordon Adamson. They both came from Leeds, just like the UG registration on this bike – my father from Horsforth and Gordon from Far Headingley. I know that my father liked to go to the Yorkshire coast for camping weekends, hence the backdrop and the tent on the back. My online searches did not produce an exact match for this Sunbeam. My dad looks to be in his early twenties, which makes the bike probably from around 1930. What struck me as unusual, compared with most of the Model 9s and 10s from the early 1930s, is that it’s a two-seater; also, I could not find another Sunbeam…
confessions of a compulsive buyer
#1 1964 BSA A65 Twin Star My journey into classic motorcycles was inspired on a rideout towards the end of 2019 – as I rode into my local petrolhead haven, Caffeine & Machine, for a coffee, I was followed in by a guy on the most gorgeous BSA Gold Star. With memories of my first bike – a lovely 1966 BSA Bantam that I got on my 21st birthday – in mind, I started trawling the internet, looking for my first classic. I found a Bantam similar to the one I had in 1970, at a local dealer – but they advised me against buying it, saying I’d be disappointed by its slowness. They added that, unless the bike was very cheap or very rare and I had the skills and…
going continental
I owned my 1967 Royal Enfield Continental GT from 2003-2016 – I was 50 years old at the time, so I could cope with the riding position as I was more supple and enjoyed the rorty exhaust note. You have to work at getting the best out of a sporty 250 single – there’s no oomph unless you rev them hard, redlining at 7500rpm; cruising at 60mph at 5200rpm is better. After 700 miles of use, the bigend started knocking, although not from any abuse on my part. An expert rebuilt the engine for me, and while it was away I spruced up the rest of the bike. After running it in carefully, I ended up covering 12,000 trouble-free miles – proving that even its five-speed gearbox, which gained a…
